London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

They are West End stars, proved a trump card on a Government trade mission to China and have made trips to Hyde Park and the London Eye.

And today it was revealed that the much-loved puppets from the National Theatre’s War Horse are going on a new adventure — to the BBC Proms.

They will make their debut at the world’s biggest music festival as part of a season commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. The puppets will star in a concert featuring music from the hit musical alongside a Military Wives choir assembled by conductor Gareth Malone.

Announcing the 2014 season of concerts, Proms director Roger Wright said the centenary would be strongly reflected in a programme including music by composers who served in the First World War. They include George Butterworth, Ivor Gurney, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Rudi Stephan, a German killed in the conflict.

There will also be more international orchestras than ever before from countries such as China, Singapore, Iceland, South Korea and Turkey. Ten appear for the first time alongside favourites including the Berlin Philharmonic with Sir Simon Rattle.

“It’s a way of celebrating the range of classical music in places you wouldn’t necessarily expect,” Mr Wright said.

All concerts are broadcast live on Radio 3, and some will also be shown on television or other radio stations. The inaugural Sports Prom, in which Gabby Logan will present music such as the Horse Of The Year theme tune, will be the first broadcast on 5 Live.

The season includes trumpeter Alison Balsom, piano prodigy Benjamin Grosvenor and Nina Stemme in Richard Strauss’s Salome. Stars at late-night Proms include Paloma Faith, Rufus Wainwright, Laura Mvula and the Pet Shop Boys, who will reveal their orchestral work inspired by the life of computer genius Alan Turing.

British conductors with special birthdays will also appear, with Donald Runnicles at 60, Sir Andrew Davis at 70, Sir Roger Norrington at 80 and Sir Neville Marriner at 90. The Last Night will include a singalong Mary Poppins medley to mark its 50th anniversary.

Roger Wright, who is standing down from the Proms this summer, said they remained important for giving people access to classical music and were an intrinsic part of what the BBC does.

Joey, the life-size star of War Horse, is already a well-travelled puppet. He was introduced to David Cameron in Shanghai as part of his China trade mission in December, and was put through his paces by members of the Household Cavalry in Hyde Park. He even took a ride on the London Eye to mark the show’s 2,000th performance.

The BBC Proms run from July 18 to September 13 and tickets go on sale on May 17. Standing tickets are £5 for the ninth year, while seats are half-price for under-18s. bbc.co.uk/proms